PictureMate

Back in November I bought an Epson PictureMate photo printer. It only prints 4X6 photos with or without borders. It is a cute little printer that looks like a boombox. It has a handle on top. It supports direct printing from PictBridge enabled cameras and direct printing from all the popular memory card formats. It also comes with software called, "Film Factory,". I use the software. It is very easy to connect to a USB port when I need to print. The prints are of a higher quality that I was getting from places such as Target, Walgreen's and Sam's Club. I tried all of them and was somewhat disappointed with the prints.

The printer uses pigment inks that Epson claims will last up to 200 years. The inks are in a single cartridge which is sold in a pack with 100 sheets of paper. Epson guarantees that you will get 100 prints from each cartridge. Most people are able to get considerably more than 100 prints from each printer cartridge. Epson recommends that you use their 4X6 Premium Glossy Paper if additional paper is needed.

Yesterday Amazon.com reduced the price of the print pack to $20.04 and the 100 sheet preium glossy to $13.29. I ordered one of each. The premium glossy paper shipped yesterday from Dallas, and I will get it today. A purchase of $25 or more from Amazon.com still qualifies for free shipping. Considering that I will get more than 100 prints per cartridge this brings the per print price well below the cost of commercial prints.